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Difficulty: HardVulnerability Scanning and Assessment

A security operations team is reviewing credentialed vulnerability scan reports for an enterprise hybrid cloud architecture. The report reveals missing operating system kernel security patches on high-availability backend database servers and unvalidated input parameters on public-facing web API endpoints. To address these findings effectively while preventing service interruption and maintaining security integrity, which of the following actions should the team implement? (Select TWO.)

  1. Apply operating system kernel updates using rolling node restarts during off-peak scheduled maintenance windows.Answer
  2. Deploy web application firewall input sanitization rules to block malicious parameter payloads at the API boundary.Answer
  3. C
    Execute automated intrusive exploit modules against the database cluster during production hours to confirm patch necessity.
  4. D
    Reclassify identified API input parameter vulnerabilities as detective security controls to satisfy compliance audits.

Answer

The correct actions are applying operating system kernel updates using rolling node restarts during off-peak maintenance windows and deploying web application firewall input sanitization rules at the API boundary.
Remediating database kernel vulnerabilities through rolling restarts ensures that nodes receive required security patches sequentially without taking down the entire database cluster. Concurrently, deploying web application firewall parameter sanitization rules provides virtual patching at the API perimeter to protect against input manipulation attacks.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the vulnerability scan findings and host environments.
Identified two distinct issues: system-level kernel flaws on database hosts and application-level input parameter flaws on web API endpoints.
Remediation strategies must address both system and application layers independently while respecting uptime requirements.
2
Select appropriate remediation and mitigation strategies for high-availability database infrastructure.
Rolling updates maintain cluster availability while applying OS patches during maintenance windows.
Host patching addresses the root cause of OS vulnerabilities without incurring total cluster downtime.
3
Select appropriate edge security controls for API input validation vulnerabilities.
Deploying WAF parameter sanitization rules filters attack payloads at the network perimeter.
WAF rules mitigate exploit vectors immediately without requiring instantaneous code refactoring.

Key Concept

Vulnerability Remediation and Compensating Controls Prioritization
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Topics

Vulnerability Scanning and Assessment

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